Rubim Santos | Instituto Politecnico do Porto (original) (raw)
Papers by Rubim Santos
O artigo pretende demonstrar o caminho percorrido na adaptação de um curso de especialização pós-... more O artigo pretende demonstrar o caminho percorrido na adaptação de um curso de especialização pós-graduado em Segurança e Proteção contra Radiações.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
O exercício físico regular pode promover benefícios no perfil lipídico, reduzindo os fatores de r... more O exercício físico regular pode promover benefícios no perfil lipídico, reduzindo os fatores de risco para obesidade. Os efeitos imediatos do exercício físico no perfil lipídico são ainda alvo de estudo. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o impacto de uma sessão de exercício físico no perfil lipídico imediato.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Muscle strength of lower limbs is considered a key factor in handball, basketball, football and v... more Muscle strength of lower limbs is considered a key factor in handball, basketball, football and volleyball athletes’ performance, as support of specific motor skills and actions. One of the methods used to assess muscle strength is isokinetic dynamometry.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A entorse lateral do tornozelo (ELT) é a lesão com maior incidência no futebol, sendo que 40 a 70... more A entorse lateral do tornozelo (ELT) é a lesão com maior incidência no futebol, sendo que 40 a 70% dessas lesões cápsulo-ligamentares ocasionam instabilidade crónica do tornozelo (ICT). A crescente implementação de relvados sintéticos, associado à variabilidade de chuteiras disponíveis, realça a interação chuteira-piso como possível fator de risco de ELT. Como objetivo do estudo pretendeu-se avaliar a influência do tipo de chuteira na prevenção de ELT em relvado sintético em atletas com e sem Instabilidade crónica do tornozelo (ICT). Estudo experimental com desenho intra-sujeitos numa amostra de vinte e um atletas federados, alocando-se os mesmos em dois grupos: sem (n=12) e com ICT (n=9). O teste funcional utilizado consistiu numa adaptação do 6 meter cross-over test, reduzindo o seu comprimento para 2 metros (5 saltos) e estabelecendo-se uma distância mínima ântero-posterior e médio lateral de 40 e 15 cm, respetivamente.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Advances and Current Trends in Biomechanics, 2021
Neural coupling, frequently impaired in post-stroke subjects, can be limb activity in the upper l... more Neural coupling, frequently impaired in post-stroke subjects, can be limb activity in the upper limb motor behavior it can be raised the question on evidence related with the dysfunctional modulation in the brachioradialis muscle post stroke participants participated in the present study. The electromyographic activity of the soleus and brachioradialis muscles were recorded during stand to sit and gait initiation performance and was used to quantity muscle variation timing. The ground reaction forces assessed through a force pate were used to identify the beginning of the task. Post-stroke subjects presented in both functional tasks a pre-activation of soleus and braquioradialismuscles.Post stroke subjects with a dysfunction of soleus muscle modulation also showed both muscles prior to stand to sit and gait. e main purpose of this preliminary paper was to explore clinical evidence (expressed by the muscular activity variation) related with modulation dysfunction in the brachioradialis along with the soleus muscles, in APAs recruitment prior to stand to sit and gait, in post stroke subjects (Figure 1). Methods Participants e present study is a case series study which included six
Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2018
School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal Center for Rehabilitation Resea... more School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal Center for Rehabilitation Research – Center of Human Movement and Activity, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal *Corresponding author: Ana Rita Pinheiro, Centro de Investigação em Reabilitação (CIR) – Centro de Estudos de Movimento e Atividade Humana (CEMAH), Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 400, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal. Email arp@ess.ipp.pt
Footwear Science, 2016
Lateral ankle sprain is the most prevalent injury in soccer athletes. Enhanced by the variety of ... more Lateral ankle sprain is the most prevalent injury in soccer athletes. Enhanced by the variety of soccer cleats and by increased use of artificial turf, the interaction between the ground and the footwear has taken high importance as a lateral ankle sprain risk factor. The higher incidence of injuries in the second half of the match reflects the need of studying this interaction during tasks involving muscle fatigue. To evaluate the influence of different soccer cleats on kinetic, kinematic and neuromuscular ankle variables in artificial turf under two conditions: with and without fatigue of lateral ankle dynamic stabilizers. Study design: Experimental study within-subjects design. Twenty-four healthy athletes participated in this study. All subjects performed three sets of five medial-lateral unipodal jumps, each one with one of three models of cleats (Turf, Hard and Firm ground) on two conditions: with and without fatigue induced by the isokinetic dynamometer. The electromyographic activity of long and short peroneal heads, ground reaction forces and the movement of the rear-foot were collected and used to calculate kinematic (ankle eversion/inversion, centre of pressure displacement and velocity), kinetic (loading rate of the ground reaction forces) and neuromuscular variables (activation time of peroneal muscles). With the exception of decreased peroneal activation time with the Hard ground model (without fatigue vs. with fatigue), no statistically significant differences were identified in the ankle variables, between cleats, neither between the two evaluated conditions. In healthy soccer athletes, the contributor variables for ankle sprain were not influenced by the kind of soccer cleat in a functional test on a third generation artificial turf.
Somatosensory & Motor Research, 2012
Introduction: The beginning of the movement sequence from standing to sitting requires the modula... more Introduction: The beginning of the movement sequence from standing to sitting requires the modulation of plantar flexors activity, including soleus muscle (SOL), to allow the forward translation of the tibia in relation to the foot, preserving its antigravity function. Purpose: To analyze the SOL activity during the initial phase of standing to sitting in stroke subjects. Methods: Two groups of ten subjects each participated in this study, one composed by healthy subjects and the other with subjects with history of stroke. Electromyographic activity (EMGa) of SOL was analyzed in ipsilateral (IPSI) and contralateral (CONTRA) limb to side lesion in stroke subjects, and in one limb in healthy subjects during the initial phase of standing to sitting. A force plate was used to identify the movement sequence phase. Results: The mean values of SOL EMGa were higher in healthy subjects than the ones obtained in IPSI and CONTRA limb in stroke subjects. Significance differences were only was observed between the IPSI and healthy limb (p=0.035). Conclusion: When compared to the healthy subjects, stroke subjects showed a decreased SOL EMGa in IPSI limb, which suggests that therapeutic decisions must consider the need to promote a better postural control also in the IPSI limb.
Human Movement Science, 2013
This study investigated the influence of wearing unstable shoe construction (WUS) on compensatory... more This study investigated the influence of wearing unstable shoe construction (WUS) on compensatory postural adjustments (CPA) associated with external perturbations. Thirty two subjects stood on a force platform resisting an anteriorposterior horizontal force applied to a pelvic belt via a cable, which was suddenly released, under two conditions: barefoot and WUS. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of gastrocnemius medialis, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae muscles and the centre of pressure (CoP) displacement were acquired to study CPA. The EMG signal was used to assess individual muscle activity and latency, antagonist co-activation and reciprocal activation at joint and muscle group levels. Compared to barefoot, WUS led to: (1) increased gastrocnemius medialis activity, (2) increased total agonist activity, (3) decreased antagonist co-activation at the ankle joint and muscle group levels, (4) increased reciprocal activation at the ankle joint and muscle group levels, and (5) decrease in all muscle latencies. No differences were observed in CoP displacement between conditions. These findings demonstrate that WUS led to a reorganization of the postural control system associated to improved performance of some components of postural control responses.
Gait & Posture, 2014
This study investigated the influence of long-term wearing of unstable shoes (WUS) on compensator... more This study investigated the influence of long-term wearing of unstable shoes (WUS) on compensatory postural adjustments (CPA) to an external perturbation. Methods: Participants were divided into two groups: one wore unstable shoes while the other wore conventional shoes for 8 weeks. The ground reaction force signal was used to calculate the anteriorposterior (AP) displacement of the centre of pressure (CoP) and the electromyographic signal of gastrocnemius medialis (GM), tibialis anterior (TA), rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles was used to assess individual muscle activity, antagonist co-activation and reciprocal activation at the joint (TA/GM and RF/(BF + GM) pairs) and muscle group levels (ventral (TA + RF)/dorsal (GM + BF) pair) within time intervals typical for CPA. The electromyographic signal was also used to assess muscle latency. The variables described were evaluated before and after the 8-week period while wearing the unstable shoes and barefoot. Results: Long-term WUS led to: an increase of BF activity in both conditions (barefoot and wearing the unstable shoes); a decrease of GM activity; an increase of antagonist co-activation and a decrease of reciprocal activation level at the TA/GM and ventral/dorsal pairs in the unstable shoe condition. Additionally, WUS led to a decrease in CoP displacement. However, no differences were observed in muscle onset and offset. Conclusion: Results suggest that the prolonged use of unstable shoes leads to increased ankle and muscle groups' antagonist co-activation levels and higher performance by the postural control system.
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2013
Objective: To analyse the relation between contralesional and ipsilesional limbs in subjects with... more Objective: To analyse the relation between contralesional and ipsilesional limbs in subjects with stroke during step-to-step transition of walking. Design: Observational, transversal, analytical study with a convenience sample. Setting: Patients from a physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic in Portugal (Braga). Participants: Sixteen subjects with post-stroke hemiparesis with the ability to walk independently and twenty-two healthy controls. Interventions: Not applicable. Main outcome measures: Bilateral lower limbs electromyographic activity (EMG) of soleus (SOL), gastrocnemius medialis (GM), tibialis anterior (TA), biceps femoris (BF), rectus femoris (RF) and vastus medialis (VM) muscles and ground reaction force were analysed during double support and terminal stance phases of gait. Results: The propulsive impulse of the contralesional trailing limb was negatively correlated to the braking impulse of the LEAD limb during double support (r=-0.639, p=0.010). A moderate functional relation was observed between thigh muscles (r=-0.529, p=0.035), and a strong and moderate dysfunctional relation was found between the plantar flexors of the ipsilesional limb and the vastus medialis of the contralesional limb, respectively (SOL-VM, r=-0.800, p<0.001; GM-VM, r=-0.655, p=0.002). Also, a functional moderate negative correlation was found between the SOL and RF muscles of the ipsilesional limb during terminal stance and between the SOL (r=-0.506, p=0.046) and VM (r=-0.518, p=0.040) muscles of the contralesional limb during loading response, respectively. The trailing limb relative impulse contribution of the contralesional limb was lower than the contribution of the ipsilesional limb of subjects with stroke (p=0.02) and lower than the relative impulse contribution of the healthy limb (p=0.008) during double-support. Conclusions: The findings obtained suggest that the lower performance of the contralesional limb in forward propulsion during gait is not only related to contralateral supraspinal damage but also to a dysfunctional influence of the ipsilesional limb.
Applied Ergonomics, 2012
To quantify the effect of unstable shoe wearing on muscle activity and haemodynamic response duri... more To quantify the effect of unstable shoe wearing on muscle activity and haemodynamic response during standing. Methods: Thirty volunteers were divided into 2 groups: the experimental group wore an unstable shoe for 8 weeks, while the control group used a conventional shoe for the same period. Muscle activity of the medial gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and biceps femoris and venous circulation were assessed in quiet standing with the unstable shoe and barefoot. Results: In the first measurement there was an increase in medial gastrocnemius activity in all volunteers while wearing the unstable shoe. On the other hand, after wearing the unstable shoe for eight weeks these differences were not verified. Venous return increased in subjects wearing the unstable shoe before and after training. Conclusions: The unstable shoe produced changes in electromyographic characteristics which were advantageous for venous circulation even after training accommodation by the neuromuscular system.
Introduction. Sit-to-stand (SitTS) and stand-to-sit (StandTS) are very important functional tasks... more Introduction. Sit-to-stand (SitTS) and stand-to-sit (StandTS) are very important functional tasks that become compromised in stroke patients. As in other voluntary movements, they require an adequate postural control (PC) involving the generation of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs). In order to give clues for more efficient and directed rehabilitation programs, a deeper knowledge about APAs during challenging and daily life movements is essential. Purpose. To analyze the activation timing of tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SOL) muscles during SitTS and StandTS in healthy subjects and in post-stroke patients. Methods. Two groups participated in this study: one composed of ten healthy subjects and the other by ten subjects with a history of stroke and increased H-reflex. Electromyographic activity (EMGa) of SOL and TA was analyzed during SitTS and StandTS in the ipsilateral (IPSI) and the contralateral (CONTRA) limb to the side lesion in stroke subjects, and in one limb in ...
Annals of Medicine
View related articles View Crossmark data weight gain; pain reduction; relaxation; increased aler... more View related articles View Crossmark data weight gain; pain reduction; relaxation; increased alertness and learning; decreased stress, depression and anxiety levels; promoted deep sleep and improved immune system [2-4]. However, when evaluating term massage programs, it is noticed that there are no similar methodologies between studies. The purpose of this study is to review massage programs for newborn babies. Materials and methods: This is a systematic review study. A literature search was conducted via three databases: PubMed, PEDro and Scielo using the search terms "Massage therapy"; "Infant massage"; "Baby massage"; "Full term"; "term babies"; "neonates", "newborn" and "Maternal support" or "Mother support". The inclusion criteria were: Studies published in English, Spanish or Portuguese; RCT studies; Quasi-experimental studies; Studies with massage program; Studies with term babies' samples; Studies published between 2009 and 2019. The exclusion criteria were studies with term "babies with congenital disease". A total of 62 papers were found and analysed by both authors. Fourteen met the criteria, 5 RCT's and 9 quasi experimental studies. Results: Studies described 6 programs of infant massage to newborn babies. Ten studies described mothers applying term massage program, 3 applied by health professionals and 1 divided between health professionals when in hospital and by their mothers when babies were discharged. The most representative direction of massage was from head to feet. Majority of the studies used group strategy for teaching infant massage to mothers. Programs varied from 1-3 days twice a day for 15 mn to once a week between 30-60 mn during 4-8 weeks. Studies were scored by PEDro's scale and ranged from 2 to 7. Half of the studies obtained score 5. Discussion and conclusion: We can conclude that 6 massage programs are described in literature; the majority is performed by babies' mothers and there is a wide variety concerning program duration and frequency. Studies outcomes showed effects both on newborn babies and mother-baby relationship. Infant massage programs seem to be an important group teaching strategy for new parents. However, more studies should be done in order to understand if newborn massage works, regardless of the program type.
International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Safety
Automation of assembly work was originally developed to increase operation efficiency and to redu... more Automation of assembly work was originally developed to increase operation efficiency and to reduce workload. However, a considerable number of unanticipated ergonomic problems have been observed such as the interaction between humans and automated systems. The aims of this study were to quantify joint angle positions (shoulder, elbow and wrist) of workers in two assembly lines with different mechanization levels and analyse the performance of an inertial motion capture system. Seven experienced female assemblers participated in this study. The measurements were performed in the workplace with a full-body inertial measurement system (Xsens MVN BIOMECH system). Maximum cross-correlation between angle-time courses was calculated to quantify the waveform similarities. In manual line, there are larger variations of joint angles than in the semi-automatic one. The analysis of cross correlation coefficients revealed that electromagnetic interferences are potential limitations to the use o...
International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics
Journal of Human Kinetics
The lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common sport injury, representing 10-30% of all muscu... more The lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common sport injury, representing 10-30% of all musculoskeletal disorders. The lateral ankle sprain is induced by sport gestures involving changes of direction and landing manoeuvres and constitutes a risk factor for the occurrence of chronic ankle instability. Although cleat models and performance have been already explored, no study has evaluated this relationship in athletes with chronic ankle instability. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to analyse the influence of different soccer cleat models on Side Hop Test performance of athletes with and without chronic ankle instability. Thirty-nine athletes were divided into two groups, a chronic ankle instability group (n = 20) and a healthy group (n = 19). Each participant performed the Side Hop Test, executing 10 consecutive jumps on dry artificial grass with 4 cleat models. The Qualisys System and two force platforms were used to analyse the test runtime, the distance travelled and t...
O artigo pretende demonstrar o caminho percorrido na adaptação de um curso de especialização pós-... more O artigo pretende demonstrar o caminho percorrido na adaptação de um curso de especialização pós-graduado em Segurança e Proteção contra Radiações.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
O exercício físico regular pode promover benefícios no perfil lipídico, reduzindo os fatores de r... more O exercício físico regular pode promover benefícios no perfil lipídico, reduzindo os fatores de risco para obesidade. Os efeitos imediatos do exercício físico no perfil lipídico são ainda alvo de estudo. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o impacto de uma sessão de exercício físico no perfil lipídico imediato.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Muscle strength of lower limbs is considered a key factor in handball, basketball, football and v... more Muscle strength of lower limbs is considered a key factor in handball, basketball, football and volleyball athletes’ performance, as support of specific motor skills and actions. One of the methods used to assess muscle strength is isokinetic dynamometry.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A entorse lateral do tornozelo (ELT) é a lesão com maior incidência no futebol, sendo que 40 a 70... more A entorse lateral do tornozelo (ELT) é a lesão com maior incidência no futebol, sendo que 40 a 70% dessas lesões cápsulo-ligamentares ocasionam instabilidade crónica do tornozelo (ICT). A crescente implementação de relvados sintéticos, associado à variabilidade de chuteiras disponíveis, realça a interação chuteira-piso como possível fator de risco de ELT. Como objetivo do estudo pretendeu-se avaliar a influência do tipo de chuteira na prevenção de ELT em relvado sintético em atletas com e sem Instabilidade crónica do tornozelo (ICT). Estudo experimental com desenho intra-sujeitos numa amostra de vinte e um atletas federados, alocando-se os mesmos em dois grupos: sem (n=12) e com ICT (n=9). O teste funcional utilizado consistiu numa adaptação do 6 meter cross-over test, reduzindo o seu comprimento para 2 metros (5 saltos) e estabelecendo-se uma distância mínima ântero-posterior e médio lateral de 40 e 15 cm, respetivamente.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Advances and Current Trends in Biomechanics, 2021
Neural coupling, frequently impaired in post-stroke subjects, can be limb activity in the upper l... more Neural coupling, frequently impaired in post-stroke subjects, can be limb activity in the upper limb motor behavior it can be raised the question on evidence related with the dysfunctional modulation in the brachioradialis muscle post stroke participants participated in the present study. The electromyographic activity of the soleus and brachioradialis muscles were recorded during stand to sit and gait initiation performance and was used to quantity muscle variation timing. The ground reaction forces assessed through a force pate were used to identify the beginning of the task. Post-stroke subjects presented in both functional tasks a pre-activation of soleus and braquioradialismuscles.Post stroke subjects with a dysfunction of soleus muscle modulation also showed both muscles prior to stand to sit and gait. e main purpose of this preliminary paper was to explore clinical evidence (expressed by the muscular activity variation) related with modulation dysfunction in the brachioradialis along with the soleus muscles, in APAs recruitment prior to stand to sit and gait, in post stroke subjects (Figure 1). Methods Participants e present study is a case series study which included six
Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2018
School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal Center for Rehabilitation Resea... more School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal Center for Rehabilitation Research – Center of Human Movement and Activity, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal *Corresponding author: Ana Rita Pinheiro, Centro de Investigação em Reabilitação (CIR) – Centro de Estudos de Movimento e Atividade Humana (CEMAH), Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 400, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal. Email arp@ess.ipp.pt
Footwear Science, 2016
Lateral ankle sprain is the most prevalent injury in soccer athletes. Enhanced by the variety of ... more Lateral ankle sprain is the most prevalent injury in soccer athletes. Enhanced by the variety of soccer cleats and by increased use of artificial turf, the interaction between the ground and the footwear has taken high importance as a lateral ankle sprain risk factor. The higher incidence of injuries in the second half of the match reflects the need of studying this interaction during tasks involving muscle fatigue. To evaluate the influence of different soccer cleats on kinetic, kinematic and neuromuscular ankle variables in artificial turf under two conditions: with and without fatigue of lateral ankle dynamic stabilizers. Study design: Experimental study within-subjects design. Twenty-four healthy athletes participated in this study. All subjects performed three sets of five medial-lateral unipodal jumps, each one with one of three models of cleats (Turf, Hard and Firm ground) on two conditions: with and without fatigue induced by the isokinetic dynamometer. The electromyographic activity of long and short peroneal heads, ground reaction forces and the movement of the rear-foot were collected and used to calculate kinematic (ankle eversion/inversion, centre of pressure displacement and velocity), kinetic (loading rate of the ground reaction forces) and neuromuscular variables (activation time of peroneal muscles). With the exception of decreased peroneal activation time with the Hard ground model (without fatigue vs. with fatigue), no statistically significant differences were identified in the ankle variables, between cleats, neither between the two evaluated conditions. In healthy soccer athletes, the contributor variables for ankle sprain were not influenced by the kind of soccer cleat in a functional test on a third generation artificial turf.
Somatosensory & Motor Research, 2012
Introduction: The beginning of the movement sequence from standing to sitting requires the modula... more Introduction: The beginning of the movement sequence from standing to sitting requires the modulation of plantar flexors activity, including soleus muscle (SOL), to allow the forward translation of the tibia in relation to the foot, preserving its antigravity function. Purpose: To analyze the SOL activity during the initial phase of standing to sitting in stroke subjects. Methods: Two groups of ten subjects each participated in this study, one composed by healthy subjects and the other with subjects with history of stroke. Electromyographic activity (EMGa) of SOL was analyzed in ipsilateral (IPSI) and contralateral (CONTRA) limb to side lesion in stroke subjects, and in one limb in healthy subjects during the initial phase of standing to sitting. A force plate was used to identify the movement sequence phase. Results: The mean values of SOL EMGa were higher in healthy subjects than the ones obtained in IPSI and CONTRA limb in stroke subjects. Significance differences were only was observed between the IPSI and healthy limb (p=0.035). Conclusion: When compared to the healthy subjects, stroke subjects showed a decreased SOL EMGa in IPSI limb, which suggests that therapeutic decisions must consider the need to promote a better postural control also in the IPSI limb.
Human Movement Science, 2013
This study investigated the influence of wearing unstable shoe construction (WUS) on compensatory... more This study investigated the influence of wearing unstable shoe construction (WUS) on compensatory postural adjustments (CPA) associated with external perturbations. Thirty two subjects stood on a force platform resisting an anteriorposterior horizontal force applied to a pelvic belt via a cable, which was suddenly released, under two conditions: barefoot and WUS. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of gastrocnemius medialis, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae muscles and the centre of pressure (CoP) displacement were acquired to study CPA. The EMG signal was used to assess individual muscle activity and latency, antagonist co-activation and reciprocal activation at joint and muscle group levels. Compared to barefoot, WUS led to: (1) increased gastrocnemius medialis activity, (2) increased total agonist activity, (3) decreased antagonist co-activation at the ankle joint and muscle group levels, (4) increased reciprocal activation at the ankle joint and muscle group levels, and (5) decrease in all muscle latencies. No differences were observed in CoP displacement between conditions. These findings demonstrate that WUS led to a reorganization of the postural control system associated to improved performance of some components of postural control responses.
Gait & Posture, 2014
This study investigated the influence of long-term wearing of unstable shoes (WUS) on compensator... more This study investigated the influence of long-term wearing of unstable shoes (WUS) on compensatory postural adjustments (CPA) to an external perturbation. Methods: Participants were divided into two groups: one wore unstable shoes while the other wore conventional shoes for 8 weeks. The ground reaction force signal was used to calculate the anteriorposterior (AP) displacement of the centre of pressure (CoP) and the electromyographic signal of gastrocnemius medialis (GM), tibialis anterior (TA), rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles was used to assess individual muscle activity, antagonist co-activation and reciprocal activation at the joint (TA/GM and RF/(BF + GM) pairs) and muscle group levels (ventral (TA + RF)/dorsal (GM + BF) pair) within time intervals typical for CPA. The electromyographic signal was also used to assess muscle latency. The variables described were evaluated before and after the 8-week period while wearing the unstable shoes and barefoot. Results: Long-term WUS led to: an increase of BF activity in both conditions (barefoot and wearing the unstable shoes); a decrease of GM activity; an increase of antagonist co-activation and a decrease of reciprocal activation level at the TA/GM and ventral/dorsal pairs in the unstable shoe condition. Additionally, WUS led to a decrease in CoP displacement. However, no differences were observed in muscle onset and offset. Conclusion: Results suggest that the prolonged use of unstable shoes leads to increased ankle and muscle groups' antagonist co-activation levels and higher performance by the postural control system.
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2013
Objective: To analyse the relation between contralesional and ipsilesional limbs in subjects with... more Objective: To analyse the relation between contralesional and ipsilesional limbs in subjects with stroke during step-to-step transition of walking. Design: Observational, transversal, analytical study with a convenience sample. Setting: Patients from a physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic in Portugal (Braga). Participants: Sixteen subjects with post-stroke hemiparesis with the ability to walk independently and twenty-two healthy controls. Interventions: Not applicable. Main outcome measures: Bilateral lower limbs electromyographic activity (EMG) of soleus (SOL), gastrocnemius medialis (GM), tibialis anterior (TA), biceps femoris (BF), rectus femoris (RF) and vastus medialis (VM) muscles and ground reaction force were analysed during double support and terminal stance phases of gait. Results: The propulsive impulse of the contralesional trailing limb was negatively correlated to the braking impulse of the LEAD limb during double support (r=-0.639, p=0.010). A moderate functional relation was observed between thigh muscles (r=-0.529, p=0.035), and a strong and moderate dysfunctional relation was found between the plantar flexors of the ipsilesional limb and the vastus medialis of the contralesional limb, respectively (SOL-VM, r=-0.800, p<0.001; GM-VM, r=-0.655, p=0.002). Also, a functional moderate negative correlation was found between the SOL and RF muscles of the ipsilesional limb during terminal stance and between the SOL (r=-0.506, p=0.046) and VM (r=-0.518, p=0.040) muscles of the contralesional limb during loading response, respectively. The trailing limb relative impulse contribution of the contralesional limb was lower than the contribution of the ipsilesional limb of subjects with stroke (p=0.02) and lower than the relative impulse contribution of the healthy limb (p=0.008) during double-support. Conclusions: The findings obtained suggest that the lower performance of the contralesional limb in forward propulsion during gait is not only related to contralateral supraspinal damage but also to a dysfunctional influence of the ipsilesional limb.
Applied Ergonomics, 2012
To quantify the effect of unstable shoe wearing on muscle activity and haemodynamic response duri... more To quantify the effect of unstable shoe wearing on muscle activity and haemodynamic response during standing. Methods: Thirty volunteers were divided into 2 groups: the experimental group wore an unstable shoe for 8 weeks, while the control group used a conventional shoe for the same period. Muscle activity of the medial gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and biceps femoris and venous circulation were assessed in quiet standing with the unstable shoe and barefoot. Results: In the first measurement there was an increase in medial gastrocnemius activity in all volunteers while wearing the unstable shoe. On the other hand, after wearing the unstable shoe for eight weeks these differences were not verified. Venous return increased in subjects wearing the unstable shoe before and after training. Conclusions: The unstable shoe produced changes in electromyographic characteristics which were advantageous for venous circulation even after training accommodation by the neuromuscular system.
Introduction. Sit-to-stand (SitTS) and stand-to-sit (StandTS) are very important functional tasks... more Introduction. Sit-to-stand (SitTS) and stand-to-sit (StandTS) are very important functional tasks that become compromised in stroke patients. As in other voluntary movements, they require an adequate postural control (PC) involving the generation of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs). In order to give clues for more efficient and directed rehabilitation programs, a deeper knowledge about APAs during challenging and daily life movements is essential. Purpose. To analyze the activation timing of tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SOL) muscles during SitTS and StandTS in healthy subjects and in post-stroke patients. Methods. Two groups participated in this study: one composed of ten healthy subjects and the other by ten subjects with a history of stroke and increased H-reflex. Electromyographic activity (EMGa) of SOL and TA was analyzed during SitTS and StandTS in the ipsilateral (IPSI) and the contralateral (CONTRA) limb to the side lesion in stroke subjects, and in one limb in ...
Annals of Medicine
View related articles View Crossmark data weight gain; pain reduction; relaxation; increased aler... more View related articles View Crossmark data weight gain; pain reduction; relaxation; increased alertness and learning; decreased stress, depression and anxiety levels; promoted deep sleep and improved immune system [2-4]. However, when evaluating term massage programs, it is noticed that there are no similar methodologies between studies. The purpose of this study is to review massage programs for newborn babies. Materials and methods: This is a systematic review study. A literature search was conducted via three databases: PubMed, PEDro and Scielo using the search terms "Massage therapy"; "Infant massage"; "Baby massage"; "Full term"; "term babies"; "neonates", "newborn" and "Maternal support" or "Mother support". The inclusion criteria were: Studies published in English, Spanish or Portuguese; RCT studies; Quasi-experimental studies; Studies with massage program; Studies with term babies' samples; Studies published between 2009 and 2019. The exclusion criteria were studies with term "babies with congenital disease". A total of 62 papers were found and analysed by both authors. Fourteen met the criteria, 5 RCT's and 9 quasi experimental studies. Results: Studies described 6 programs of infant massage to newborn babies. Ten studies described mothers applying term massage program, 3 applied by health professionals and 1 divided between health professionals when in hospital and by their mothers when babies were discharged. The most representative direction of massage was from head to feet. Majority of the studies used group strategy for teaching infant massage to mothers. Programs varied from 1-3 days twice a day for 15 mn to once a week between 30-60 mn during 4-8 weeks. Studies were scored by PEDro's scale and ranged from 2 to 7. Half of the studies obtained score 5. Discussion and conclusion: We can conclude that 6 massage programs are described in literature; the majority is performed by babies' mothers and there is a wide variety concerning program duration and frequency. Studies outcomes showed effects both on newborn babies and mother-baby relationship. Infant massage programs seem to be an important group teaching strategy for new parents. However, more studies should be done in order to understand if newborn massage works, regardless of the program type.
International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Safety
Automation of assembly work was originally developed to increase operation efficiency and to redu... more Automation of assembly work was originally developed to increase operation efficiency and to reduce workload. However, a considerable number of unanticipated ergonomic problems have been observed such as the interaction between humans and automated systems. The aims of this study were to quantify joint angle positions (shoulder, elbow and wrist) of workers in two assembly lines with different mechanization levels and analyse the performance of an inertial motion capture system. Seven experienced female assemblers participated in this study. The measurements were performed in the workplace with a full-body inertial measurement system (Xsens MVN BIOMECH system). Maximum cross-correlation between angle-time courses was calculated to quantify the waveform similarities. In manual line, there are larger variations of joint angles than in the semi-automatic one. The analysis of cross correlation coefficients revealed that electromagnetic interferences are potential limitations to the use o...
International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics
Journal of Human Kinetics
The lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common sport injury, representing 10-30% of all muscu... more The lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common sport injury, representing 10-30% of all musculoskeletal disorders. The lateral ankle sprain is induced by sport gestures involving changes of direction and landing manoeuvres and constitutes a risk factor for the occurrence of chronic ankle instability. Although cleat models and performance have been already explored, no study has evaluated this relationship in athletes with chronic ankle instability. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to analyse the influence of different soccer cleat models on Side Hop Test performance of athletes with and without chronic ankle instability. Thirty-nine athletes were divided into two groups, a chronic ankle instability group (n = 20) and a healthy group (n = 19). Each participant performed the Side Hop Test, executing 10 consecutive jumps on dry artificial grass with 4 cleat models. The Qualisys System and two force platforms were used to analyse the test runtime, the distance travelled and t...